dampness - landlord obligations?

MoneySavingMission

what are the landlord obligations for very minimal dampness in my property? very little dampness noted but what should i do?

G_M

Depends on the cause.

Read here.

or here.

BitterAndTwisted

That entirely depends on the cause of said minimal dampness

bitsandpieces

G_M wrote: »

Depends on the cause.

And where/how minimal. A tiny area of barely noticeable damp in the cellar, and the landlord might argue they don't need to do anything; a big patch in the bedroom and you could perhaps make more of a case...

coinxoperated

I would also be interested to see how a tenant stands. I currently rent a studio flat next to a canal. The damp is so bad I've had various chest infections and have had to resort to bleaching (yes, BLEACH) the walls in the bathroom

G_M

coinxoperated wrote: »

I would also be interested to see how a tenant stands. I currently rent a studio flat next to a canal. The damp is so bad I've had various chest infections and have had to resort to bleaching (yes, BLEACH) the walls in the bathroom

Depends on the cause.

Read here.

or here.

or even the RLA here

real1314

coinxoperated wrote: »

I would also be interested to see how a tenant stands. I currently rent a studio flat next to a canal. The damp is so bad I've had various chest infections and have had to resort to bleaching (yes, BLEACH) the walls in the bathroom

It depends on the source/reasons for dampness. Unless the flat is below ground, I don't see how the canal can cause the damp?

if it's just the bathroom, are you ventilating it adequately after showers/baths? :cool:

olly300

coinxoperated wrote: »

I would also be interested to see how a tenant stands. I currently rent a studio flat next to a canal. The damp is so bad I've had various chest infections and have had to resort to bleaching (yes, BLEACH) the walls in the bathroom

Does the bathroom have a window? Do you leave it open most of the time especially while you are taking a shower/bath?

Does the bathroom have an extractor fan? Do you ensure it runs for a good 20 minutes after you have had a shower?

Does the bathroom have a radiator? Do you ensure that you heat the bathroom so the temperature is at least 18c when you take a shower/bath?

I've shared with people who deliberately close the window when they are taking a shower and wonder why the bathroom has mould on the ceiling and around the window. It's fun telling them the bleach is over there, that is a bucket and here are some rubber gloves and a cloth.

Also some extractor fans have to run longer than what their prescribed time is to be effective so you need to keep the light on for at least 20 minutes after you have left the bathroom.

coinxoperated

olly300 wrote: »

Does the bathroom have a window? Do you leave it open most of the time especially while you are taking a shower/bath?
No, the back of the flat is literally off road and next to a canal, therefore the back of the kitchen wall and bathroom are underground. No windows.

Does the bathroom have an extractor fan? Do you ensure it runs for a good 20 minutes after you have had a shower?
It does, it comes on when I turn the light on. Infact, the maintenance man fitted an extra one too! The damp/condensation is still awful. I was told there is not much else they can do about it. Tough cookie so to speak.

Does the bathroom have a radiator? Do you ensure that you heat the bathroom so the temperature is at least 18c when you take a shower/bath?
No radiators, electric only heating with one poxy heater in the living room. Not that it heats anything anyway!

I've shared with people who deliberately close the window when they are taking a shower and wonder why the bathroom has mould on the ceiling and around the window. It's fun telling them the bleach is over there, that is a bucket and here are some rubber gloves and a cloth.

Also some extractor fans have to run longer than what their prescribed time is to be effective so you need to keep the light on for at least 20 minutes after you have left the bathroom. We leave it on for a good hour, but because the back wall is so cold as its underground, it really makes very little difference. Just to give you an idea of how bad the damp is, my wardrobe in my bedroom had a leather bag in for 1 week. When I pulled it out, it is totally covered in a green layer of mould.

Nevermind the woodlice taking a holiday around my bathroom sink :rotfl:

Sorry for the delay in response!

Basically, the cause it seems is that the entire house is on moist soil. The canal is leaking underneath the property. Although most of it is soaked up by the earth and foundations, the property is falling apart. Twice, the maintenance man has had to re-fit the floorboards in the bathroom and my foot as gone through them! Straight through to soil! The house is very old and a dreadful conversion. I'll be moving mid next year when I have my finances in order, but I can't even complain about the damp as I wouldn't be able to rent anywhere else yet (DRO in place, bad credit, no cash etc etc)

My friend stayed here to care for my dog for a week. She is a 'larger' lady, weighing in at 24 stone. While on holiday, she sat on our toilet, for it to literally go straight through the floor.

The maintenance guy is pretty quick showing up and fixing bits and pieces, but it doesn't excuse the damp coming through the walls, the woodlice everywhere or that horrible musty smell regardless of how many plug ins/sprays I use.

I've found incense is the best thing to cover the smell, but then it smells a bit like a pagan rituals taking place. Not that I have anything against pagan rituals, but the small can make your eyes water a bit!

dimbo61

You could contact the council EH department and have them come round and inspect the conditions you are now living in.
The damp can have a very serious effect on your health.
If the flat you are living in is below water level ( compared to the canal next door) the whole place needs to be " Tanked out" to stop the damp/water from coming into your home. the heating is not up to standard and the bathroom should have good ventilation or a window.
Move asap
At least you dont own this building

JessFox

When I was renting my last flat there was a real damp/mould issue, we were provided with de-humidifiers for the flat but they are really expensive to run. We asked if the landlords had any other suggestions to keep the damp/mould at bay and all the advice they could offer was to open the windows. This would have been okay had it been summer, but this was November/December time when temperatures were reaching well into the minuses. We left a few months later as it was making me ill and luckily we managed to cover up the stains so we didn't lose the deposit. But there wasn't much we could do to stop it or get the landlord to sort it out. Not sure what to suggest as to what action you could take. Short of the whole building being taken down and being rebuilt on proper foundations it doesn't sound like there are many options.